Bishkek - Samarkand - Bukhara - Khiva - Vladikavkaz, Central Asia Motorcycle Tour

Central Asia is an amazingly beautiful and culturally rich region. The famous Silk Road passed here. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are the pearls of medieval Islamic architecture and culture of that era.

Tien Shan mountains, deserts, cotton fields, camel caravans, ancient fortresses of Khorezm - all this awaits you on this tour. We will pass through the territory of three former Soviet republics - Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, get acquainted with their culture, cuisine, local customs. The trip will be very diverse and eventful.

The locals are incredibly hospitable and friendly. The cuisine is hearty and delicious. The roads are generally of good quality, the infrastructure is quite developed

• Tour dates 2024: will be announced later
• Duration: 15 days
• Total mileage: 4000 km
• Tour level: Intermediate 
• Road description: 95% asphalt, 5% unpaved roads
• Price 3950 Euro with BMW F750/850GS
• Extra 500 Euro for BMW R1250GS
• Price with own bike: 2750 Euro
• Extra price for the passenger: 1750 Euro
• Extra price for single occupancy: 550 Euro

The price includes:

• Accommodation in 3-4* hotels (twin occupancy)
• Breakfasts
• Leading guide on a motorcycle
• Support vehicle
• Petrol 
• Excursions
• Technical support

The price doesn’t include:

• Meals (approx. 30 Euro per day)
• Air tickets

Tour route (for the tour Bishkek - Vladikavkaz, if we go in the opposite direction ride reverse):

1. Arrival in Bishkek

Arrival, check-in at the hotel, currency exchange, briefing and signing all necessary documents, receiving motorcycles, dinner.

2. Bishkek - Toktogul, 280 km

Today we will reach the mountains of the northern Tien Shan, where serpentines and passes wait you. In the evening we check-in at the hotel near the Toktogul reservoir.

3. Toktogul - Osh, 400 km

Departure from Toktogul, where we admire the reservoir surrounded by mountains, and then the road leads us to Osh, one of the oldest and largest cities in Kyrgyzstan. The road will be very picturesque, along the edge of mountains and valleys. In the city we’ll visit the local market and the mountain Sulaiman-Too, towering in the middle of the city.

4. Osh - Tashkent, 410 km

Leaving Osh, we cross the border of Uzbekistan and ride through a very picturesque Ferghana Valley. We stop in Kokand - another ancient city of Central Asia, and then we reach the capital of Uzbekistan - Tashkent. This is the largest city in Central Asia - a modern metropolis, but leading its history from BC.

5. Tashkent - Samarkand, 290 km

Today we reach Samarkand as quickly as possible, where we’ll have a tour in one of the most famous cities in Uzbekistan and throughout Central Asia. An amazingly beautiful city filled with history and architectural monuments.

6. Samarkand, rest day

City tour with local guide.

7. Samarkand - Bukhara, 300 km

After Samarkand, we descend along the edge of the Fann Mountains to the city of Karshi and from there we turn to Bukhara - another most significant historical city of Central Asia. We walk around the city, get acquainted with its sights, have dinner in the city center.

8. Bukhara - Khiva, 440 km

From Bukhara we ride west to the ancient capital of the Khorezm kingdom, to a city more than 2500 years old - Khiva. There are the Khan's palace, ancient mosques, the tombs of the khans and a huge number of historical sights there. We walk around the ancient part of the city, getting acquainted with its history. In the evening we have dinner at an authentic Uzbek restaurant.

9. Khiva, rest day

City tour with local guide.

10. Khiva - Nukus, 300 km

We leave Khiva and ride past cotton fields to get acquainted with the ancient fortresses of Khorezm. Once upon a time there were about 50 settlements and fortresses, but the remains of only a dozen and a half have survived to this day. We’ll visit three of them: Ayaz-Kala, Toprak-Kala, Kyzyl-Kala. And then we’ll visit the huge necropolis in Khojeyli, look into the tombs of local khans, visit the “Time Clock” and get acquainted with very unusual local traditions. We stay at the hotel in Nukus.

11. Nukus - Beyneu, 520 km

Today we pass through completely deserted areas of the deserts of Karakalpakstan. For tens and hundreds of kilometers around there will be only desert and one single road. We cross the border with Kazakhstan and stop for the night in the city of Beyneu.

12. Beyneu - Atyrau, 430 km

From Beineu we will continue riding west through the desert and approach the Caspian Sea. We’ll stop in Atyrau (former Guriev) - this is a fairly large, modern and beautiful city. Here we can walk along the longest pedestrian bridge in the world, 551 meters long, passing over the Ural River.

13.  Atyrau - Astrakhan, 360 km

From Atyrau we leave towards the Kazakh-Russian border. There will be unpaved sections of the road. We cross the border and get to Astrakhan. We walk around the city center, have dinner.

14. Astrakhan - Vladikavkaz, 580 km

We ride to the finish point - Vladikavkaz. We pass through Kalmykia, Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia.

15. Vladikavkaz, departure